Umno and PAS' Mustafa Ali to resolve sex video defamation suit

KUALA LUMPUR - Umno and three others, including PAS secretary-general Datuk Mustafa Ali, have agreed to go for mediation to resolve a defamation suit in relation to an alleged sex video.

High Court judge Justice John Louis O'Hara yesterday set Jan 15 next year for case management pending the outcome of the mediation.

The suit pertained to a video clip that showed a man said to resemble Mustafa and implicated Umno that was allegedly distributed before the May general election.

The party named Mustafa as well as Mustafa's lawyer, Asmuni Awi, and HarakahDaily.net chief editor Zulkifli Sulong as defendants in the suit that was filed in April.

Speaking to reporters, Zulkifli's lawyer Zulhazmi Shariff said the parties had agreed to go for mediation to find a possible settlement.

In April, the party sued the three defendants over alleged libellous statements linking Umno to the distribution of the video.

In its statement of claim, Umno said Mustafa and Asmuni had caused the publication of five defamatory articles against the party on April 12 and April 13.

Umno said the PAS secretary-general had slandered the party via media statements that were reported in online portals HarakahDaily.net and www.malaysiakini.com.

It said Zulkifli had allowed the publication of two defamatory articles against the party without finding out the truth.

Among others, Umno is seeking damages, an apology and an injunction to prevent Mustafa and Asmuni from publishing similar words.

Umno executive secretary Datuk Ab Rauf Yusoh filed the suit on behalf of the party, saying the offending words implied that Umno was the mastermind behind the sex video clip and that it (the video) was distributed for election campaigning purposes.

In his defence statement dated May 23, Mustafa admitted he had given a speech at a ceramah in Dungun, Terengganu, touching on the distribution of the sex video and photographs but contended that his speech was not defamatory against Umno.

In his statement of defence dated May 23, Asmuni said he had legal obligations to make a statement to protect Mustafa's good name to avoid any negative perception by the people due to the distribution of the video.

In his statement of defence dated May 22, Zulkifli said he was not the writer, editor or publisher of the articles, adding that the words (in the articles) were published without bad intention as they were of public interest.